The Black Death

History · Medieval Times · ages 7-9

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which pair of symptoms does the lesson name for one form of plague?
- A runny nose and frequent sneezing
- Painful swollen lumps and a fever
- Itchy eyes and patches of dry skin
What was the Black Death?
- A deadly outbreak of plague across many places
- A war fought by armies from several kingdoms
- A shortage of food after crops failed for years
When plague infects the lungs, droplets from a cough can spread it to another person nearby.
Circle one: True False
In a made-up example, a village has 10 people and half survive the plague. How many people survive in this example?
Answer: ______________
Which route can carry plague bacteria from an infected animal to a person?
- Drinking water shared with any animal nearby
- Hearing the sounds made by an infected animal
- Being bitten by a flea carrying the bacteria
Why could some surviving workers ask for higher pay after the Black Death?
- Fewer workers were available for work still needed.
- All rulers agreed to give every worker more money.
- Every farm produced far more food than before.
Mia uses England's 1348 arrival date to say the Black Death reached every place in Europe that year. What has she overlooked?
- 1348 was the only year when anyone in Europe caught plague.
- The outbreak stayed in England and never reached other places.
- 1348 is England's arrival date, not every place's.
Tom says, 'Every survivor became richer and every serf became free.' Which reply fits the lesson?
- All survivors gained wealth and freedom straight away.
- Some sought higher pay, but restrictions remained.
- No surviving worker ever asked for higher wages.

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

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Painful swollen lumps and a fever · The lesson names fever and painful swollen lumps called buboes.
A deadly outbreak of plague across many places · The Black Death was a deadly outbreak of plague, a disease caused by bacteria.
True · Plague in the lungs can spread through droplets from a sick person's cough.
5 · Split 10 into two equal groups of 5. Half is one group, so 5 people survive in this made-up example.
Being bitten by a flea carrying the bacteria · An infected flea can carry plague bacteria from an animal and pass them to a person through a bite.
Fewer workers were available for work still needed. · Landowners still needed work done, but fewer workers were available. This helped some workers bargain for more pay.
1348 is England's arrival date, not every place's. · The lesson gives 1348 for England. It describes spread through much of Europe between 1347 and 1351.
Some sought higher pay, but restrictions remained. · Worker shortages helped some survivors seek higher pay. Rulers and landowners resisted changes, and not every serf became free.